The Slav Epic (Czech:Slovanská epopej) is a cycle of 20 large canvases painted byCzechArt Nouveau painterAlphonse Mucha between 1910 and 1928. The cycle depicts the mythology and history of Czechs and otherSlavic peoples. In 1928, after finishing his monumental work, Mucha bestowed the cycle upon the city ofPrague on the condition that the city build a special pavilion for it.[1][2]
Prior to 2012, the work was a part of the permanent exhibition at the chateau in the town ofMoravský Krumlov in theSouth Moravian Region of theCzech Republic. In 2012, all 20 works were moved and displayed together on the ground floor of theVeletržní Palace until 2016, in an exhibition organized by theNational Gallery in Prague (exhibition catalogue: Alphonse Mucha – Slovanská epopej).[3] The works are currently on display back in the town ofMoravský Krumlov.[4]
Alphonse Mucha spent many years working onThe Slav Epic cycle, which he considered his life's masterwork. He had dreamed of completing such a series, a celebration of Slavic history, since the turn of the 20th century; however, his plans were limited by financial constraints. In 1909, he managed to obtain grants by an American philanthropist and keen admirer of the Slavic culture,Charles Richard Crane.[5] He began by visiting the places he intended to depict in the cycle:Russia,Poland, and theBalkans, including theE. Orthodox monasteries of Mount Athos. Additionally, he consulted historians regarding details of historical events in order to ensure an accurate depiction. In 1910, he rented part of the castle inZbiroh and began working on the series.[6]
Mucha continued working on the cycle for 18 years, gradually submitting paintings to the city of Prague as he completed them. In 1919, the first part of the series comprising eleven canvases was displayed in the Prague'sClementinum. In his opening speech, Mucha stated:
the mission of the Epic is not completed. Let it announce to foreign friends – and even to enemies – who we were, who we are, and what we hope for. May the strength of the Slav spirit command their respect, because from respect, love is born.[7]
In 1921, five of the paintings were shown in New York and Chicago to great public acclaim.[8]
In 1928, the complete cycle was displayed for the first time in theTrade Fair Palace in Prague, the Czechoslovak capital.
Alphonse Mucha died in July, 1939. Shortly before his death he was interrogated by theGestapo, as he was an important exponent of public life inCzechoslovakia.[9] During World War II,The Slav Epic was wrapped and hidden away to prevent seizure by the Nazis.[2]
Following theCzechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 and subsequent communist takeover of the country, Mucha was considered a decadent and bourgeois artist, estranged from the ideals ofsocialist realism.[10] The building of a special pavilion for the exposition ofThe Slav Epic cycle became irrelevant and unimportant for the new communist regime.[10] After the war, the paintings were moved to the chateau at Moravský Krumlov by a group of local patriots, and the cycle went on display there in 1963.[2]
The city of Prague has waged a decade-long legal battle over the work which intensified in early 2010.[2] Much consideration has been given to relocatingThe Slav Epic from Moravský Krumlov (where it had been displayed for almost 50 years), to Prague. The hope was that Prague, a city frequented by many thousands of tourists, would attract increased attention to the series of paintings. However, there is no suitable space for the work in Prague's galleries. Therefore, some Czech state institutions, such as the Office of thePresident of the Czech Republic,[11] found it preferable to leave the paintings in their current location since there have been few problems there.[12][13] Nevertheless, in early 2010, the city of Prague requested the return ofThe Slav Epic for restoration work and subsequent display.[14] However, the Mucha Foundation, run by the artist's grandson John Mucha and his mother Geraldine, blocked the move as it would simply be a provisional measure.[2] The City of Prague argued that not Alphonse Mucha butCharles R. Crane was the owner of the paintings and that he has donated the cycle to the City of Prague. According to the newspaperMladá fronta DNES, the information was proved by contracts found in the city archives.[5] The Foundation is in talks with the City of Prague for the construction of a permanent home for the work.[2]
On 25 July 2010, over a thousand people gathered in Moravský Krumlov to protest the planned move ofThe Slav Epic from the town.[15]
After a two-year dispute between Prague and the Moravian town of Moravský Krumlov, the renowned cycle of 20 monumental canvases was—in a move protested by conservationists and art historians alike—taken for display at the National Gallery's Veletržní Palace in 2012 and remained there until the end of 2016.[16] In 2018, nine of the canvases ofThe Slav Epic were shown in Brno during the RE:PUBLIKA Festival.[17] The exhibition combined two opposing worlds of renowned Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha's works – the majestic Slav Epic and a unique collection of posters.[18]
The paintings were controversially taken on a two year tour of Asia, returning to Prague in 2019.[19][20]
The work consists of 20 paintings, up to six metres tall and eight metres wide.[2]
| # | Image | Title | Subtitle | Representing | Completed | Dimensions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Time | ||||||
| 1 |  | Slavs intheir Original Homeland | Between theTuranian Whip and the Sword of theGoths | Polesia, Europe | Dark Ages | 1912 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 2 |  | The Celebration ofSvantovit | When Gods Are at War, Salvation is in the Arts | Rügen,Germany | Middle Ages | 1912 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 3 |  | The Introduction ofthe Slavonic Liturgy | Praise the Lord in Your Native Tongue | "Veligrad" (?Mikulčice),Czech Republic | 9th century | 1912 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 4 |  | The BulgarianTsar Simeon | The Morning Star of Slavonic Literature | Veliki Preslav,Bulgaria | 10th century | 1923 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 5 |  | The Bohemian KingPřemysl Otakar II | The Union of Slavic Dynasties | Prague, Czech Republic | 1260s | 1924 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 6 | .jpg) | TheCoronation of the Serbian TsarStefan Dušan asEast Roman Emperor | TheSlavic Code of Law | Skopje | 1346 | 1926 | 4.05 m × 4.80 m 13 ft 3 in × 15 ft 9 in |
| 7 |  | Jan Milíč of Kroměříž | A Brothel Converted to a Convent | Prague, Czech Republic | 1372 | 1916 | 4.05 m × 6.20 m 13 ft 3 in × 20 ft 4 in |
| 8 |  | MasterJan Hus Preaching at theBethlehem Chapel | Truth Prevails | Prague, Czech Republic | 1412 | 1916 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 9 |  | The Meeting atKřížky [cs] | Utraquism | Slavkov Forest, Czech Republic | 1419 | 1916 | 4.05 m × 6.20 m 13 ft 3 in × 20 ft 4 in |
| 10 |  | After theBattle of Grunwald | The Solidarity of theNorthern Slavs | Grunwald,Masuria,Poland | 1410 | 1924 | 6.10 m × 4.05 m 20 ft 0 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 11 |  | After theBattle of Vítkov Hill | God Represents Truth, Not Power | Vítkov Hill, by Prague, Czech Republic | 1420 | 1923 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 12 |  | Petr Chelčický atVodňany | Do Not Repay Evil with Evil | Vodňany, Czech Republic | 1420s | 1918 | 6.20 m × 4.05 m 20 ft 4 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 13 |  | TheHussite KingJiří of Poděbrady | Treaties Are to Be Observed | Prague, Czech Republic | 1460s | 1923 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 14 |  | Defense of Sziget against the Turks byNicholas Zrinsky | The Shield of Christendom | Szigetvár,Hungary | 1566 | 1914 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 15 |  | The Printing of theBible of Kralice inIvančice | God Gave Us a Gift of Language | Ivančice, Czech Republic | 1579 | 1914 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 16 |  | The Last days ofJan Amos Komenský [Comenius] inNaarden | A Flicker of Hope | Naarden,Netherlands | 1670 | 1918 | 6.20 m × 4.05 m 20 ft 4 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 17 |  | Holy Mount Athos | Sheltering theOldest Orthodox Literary Treasures | Mount Athos,Greece | 1926 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in | |
| 18 |  | The Oath ofOmladina Under theSlavic Linden Tree | The SlavicRevival | Czech Republic | 1890s | 1926 | 4.80 m × 4.05 m 15 ft 9 in × 13 ft 3 in |
| 19 |  | TheAbolition of Serfdom in Russia | Work in Freedom is the Foundation of a State | Moscow,Russia | 1861 | 1914 | 8.10 m × 6.10 m 26 ft 7 in × 20 ft 0 in |
| 20 |  | Apotheosis of the Slavs | Slavs for Humanity | Undefined | Future | 1926 | 4.05 m × 4.80 m 13 ft 3 in × 15 ft 9 in |
Media related toThe Slav Epic at Wikimedia Commons
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